But Oleksiy Danilov, who coordinates the country's war cabinet, insisted: "That doesn't mean that victory won't be on our side."
Kyiv is currently trying to unlock new packages of Western aid, notably in the US. Mr. Danilov believes that at least some military funding will "surely come through.".
The secretary of the National Security and Defence Council has been speaking exclusively to the BBC.
In May, ahead of the counter-offensive, he told us that the coming months presented a "historic opportunity.". Reflecting on those words now, he said: "In May, every citizen in our country wanted the war to end quickly.
"There were hopes, but they didn't come true.
"The fact that we have been defending our country for two years is already a big victory."
Ukrainian forces had hoped to take back swathes of territory gained by Russia, as well as cut off Russian supply lines to Crimea.
But lacking air superiority and faced with formidable Russian defenses, their efforts appear to have stalled as winter sets in. Mr. Danilov acknowledged they had been over-optimistic. "People sometimes make mistakes. You cannot be an A-grader all your life," he said.
He described the current situation on the frontline as "very difficult" and said that old "textbooks" for war, including Nato ones, "should be sent back to the archives.".
Mr. Danilov was extremely confident that US defense aid would be approved, even if he wouldn't put a figure on what Ukraine might hope to get.
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